Hail to the Brief

The House of Why Posted on by  

Why does campaigning for U.S. elections last about 2 years? Finally.  It’s here.  Election Day in the U.S.  Rah, rah, sis, boom, bah.  I’m so excited.  Uh, huh.  Aren’t you?  After all, we’ve only heard the politicians, especially those running for president, for the last 2 years.  And it’s estimated that the politicians have spent around 6 billion dollars on their campaigns.  6 billion!  This year’s November elections are the costliest ever. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think … Continue reading →

Knititation

The House of Why Posted on by 2

Why is knitting just so darn relaxing? When I was a kid, both of my grandmothers taught me different knitting stitches to keep me occupied and out of trouble (my grandfathers taught me woodworking for the same reasons, but that’s a story for another time).  I was knitting in the early ’80s when knitting wasn’t cool, so you could imagine how I looked in the corner of the playground huddled over my knitting needles and yarn when the rest of … Continue reading →

Positively Positive?

The House of Why Posted on by 2

Why is it easier to focus on the negative than on the positive? This scenario may sound familiar to many of you out there: you do how many good and thoughtful things for the significant other in your life, but somehow that person always seems to remember the one thing you forgot to do.  Big deal that you painted the living room, washed the car, and cooked a delicious dinner.  The point is you forgot to flush the toilet when … Continue reading →

Voicing Disapproval

The House of Why Posted on by  

Why do we hate hearing our recorded voices? We all know and cringe at that sound–our own voice.  It’s worse than fingernails streaking across a blackboard.  Worse than a baby wailing uncontrollably.  And worse than a shrill fire alarm sounding off at work. Unless you have a rather unique (read: irritating) voice like Fran Drescher, you probably don’t mind hearing your voice as you’re speaking, but when you listen to your voice on a recording, that’s a whole other story.  … Continue reading →

Nosy People

The House of Why Posted on by 6

Why are people so annoyingly noisy? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think I like nosy people as much as I like pushy people.  I have a co-worker who thinks that everyone’s business is her business (sound familiar?).  Whenever I’m working at my corner of the desk, she always has to ask me what I’m working on, as if she were my boss or paying me my salary (and mind you, I’m technically above her on … Continue reading →